Lots of nose bleeds from the dry hot air?

I am from the tri-state ny area with 4 seasons. Might be looking at some houses in Phoenix. I am simply amazed at the low cost of real estate, real estate taxes and overall cost of living.

For comparison a 1 bedroom coop in manhattan costs $400,000-$1 Million depending on area for a 1500 square foot apartment.

In Phoenix i am seeing new construction homes for $180,000 for 2,500 sq feet with less than 1% property tax.

I keep hearing that Phoenix and Nevada are included in job boom markets. Florida is already developed and has seen 100-150% appreciation in real estate values.

Curious to hear from people who live in Arizona how they like it. What type of jobs are available and what is there to do in that desert heat.

 

I moved here from California and I like it just fine. No nose bleeds for me. The heat isn't that bad after the first summer. Lot's of twisty roads in the Tucson area, not so much in Phoenix but there are tracks there. What kind of job are you looking for.

 

I have my own business. I asked about the job market more for the effects it has on the real estate values.

Does everything close early? I am spoiled by being able to find fast foods or chinese takeout in the middle of the night. And are movie theaters and malls a short distance or an hour drive?

 

Also can anyone comment on the "brown air" i read about.



And full article:
The following article was submitted by Steve Eastwood. Steve is a local resident, a Database Manager and a Web Designer.

At one time, Arizona was internationally known as a respite for people with respiratory difficulties. With ailments ranging from allergies to asthma to tuberculosis, patients flocked to the region for relief.

Since the early 1990's, residents of the Valley of the Sun have been looking for some relief of their own. The "Brown Cloud", as it has come to be known, shrouds the area in pollutants nearly year-round resulting in the American Lung Association giving Maricopa County it's lowest grade for air quality.

In March 2000, Governor Jane Hull formed the Governor's Brown Cloud Summit, a committee of local politicians and businesspersons, dedicated to restoring the Valley's air to its once pristine clear blue.

Chaired by local television weatherman and ex-State Representative Ed Phillips, the Summit examined this issue for ten months. They concluded that, for the most part, the Brown Cloud consists of tiny particles of carbon and nitrogen dioxide gas. These substances are deposited into the air mostly from burning fossil fuels. Cars, construction equipment, power plants, lawn mowers, leaf blowers and more contribute to the cloud.


The brown stripe across the valley isn't the result of a bad photo.
It's the brown cloud of air pollution that plagues the
Valley of the Sun. View from Squaw Peak Park.

While other cities have similar fossil fuel usage without the obvious after effects, the location and weather conditions that attract residents and visitors to the area also help trap those particulates and gases. At night, an inversion layer forms over the Valley. As with any desert, the air closer to the ground cools faster than the air above. Cool air then moves in on top of the warm air westward from the surrounding mountains. As a result, the air trapped closer to the ground in the Valley, the air containing the majority of the pollutants in the area, spreads. As the desert floor heats up during the day, the particulates rise forming a visible haze that expands as the day progresses.

Throughout the day, air shifts in the Valley cause variances in the Brown Cloud. From mid-day on, the cloud is pushed to the east. And, with every sunset, the cycle starts all over again.

 

Its all the Z guys and their high flow cats !

 

lol thats pretty funny. but is it as bad as that report? are people getting lung disease? I also read more than 300,000 new people move to phoenix every yr! thats at least another 300,000 cars a yr adding to the pollution.

I am still gung ho on arizona/phoenix but need some inside info.

 

I used to live in Bergen County NJ.Have been out here for over 9 years.Would never moved back in a million years.I know all about the high taxes and cost of living.320 days of sunshine.Outdoors all year.Sedona,Grand Canyon.Don't worry about Brown Cloud.Never as bad as NYC on a hazy,hot,humid day.

 

I have been looking at homes built by Pulte Inc., who have won multiple JD Power awards for customer satisfaction and build quality. www.pulte.com

Most of the 3bedroom homes i like are in the $180-230k range. But I really don't know where the best place in Arizona to live is.

I am 27 yrs old so i would want to be close to the nightlife/bars/clubs. I also like watching sports so being able to drive to see NBA, MLB would be a plus. Any tips? I have mostly looked into phoenix.

I plan to make a weekend trip and see some sites and visit some model homes.

 

My parents moved out to Arizona from Connecticut when I was 9 to help with my asthma issues. I've been in AZ for about 20 years now, 12 years in Phoenix where I currently live, and I no longer have problems with breathing or asthma. I agree with azjimbo, the "Brown Cloud" isn't as bad as it is made out to be.

Housing costs depend on where you buy. You can get a lot of house out here if you build closer to the "outskirts". The only downside about moving to the "outskirts" is that there isn't much around you. Where I live there is nothing very close, like around the corner. In fact, it's pretty empty right now, but that is because it was old farm land and is close to a mountain preserve. I just moved in to a new build where 3000+ square foot houses are going for around $190,000 to start. The great thing is the area is pretty centrally located and I am only about 20-30 minutes away from downtown and Tempe. ASU is in Tempe and that will probably be where you would find the nightlife you speak of. I'm a married guy, so it would be hard for me to say! The Suns and DBacks are in the downtown area so they are close. But the Coyotes Arena and the new Cardinal stadium will be pretty far away. Not that you would go see a Cardinal game unless your favorite team was playing against them!

The weather out here is always nice. A bit warm in the summer. Just make sure you get a pool with that new house. There are plenty of lakes close by if you are into that. Best of all, Vegas is a short 4 1/2 hour drive in a fast Z.

You mentioned the growth rate out here. The Valley is growing and is pretty spread out between Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Scottsdale. Odds are you will have to drive a bit to get where you want to go whatever city you choose to live in.

Can't tell you much about Tucson. I lived there for almost 9 years but that was up until age 17. My parents live there and I visit often. I don't think there is as much available in Tucson as in Phoenix. I personally love Phoenix and do not plan on ever leaving. Besides all the major sports teams, California and Vegas are nice and close.

As I mentioned, I just moved in to a new development. The base price on my model house is already up $10,000 in about 6 months and the development is still in the early phases. Stuff like that seems to be pretty common in the Valley.

Hit me up with any questions you've got. I'll try to answer them. Keep in mind though, I do sometimes rely on my Z's navigation system to get me around!

 

Thanks so much. I am thinking of planning a vacation in vegas and making it a duel purpose trip to also spend a day or two in phoenix to get the feel. Maybe in the fall season so i can catch a phoenix suns game.

Does the development you moved into have a website?

 

http://www.courtlandhomes.com/

Select the Community Information option. I built in the Oak Springs at Laveen Village development. Ash Creek has higher priced models. Trailside has lower priced. All three developments are built together in the same area. It's a pretty large development. There are several other builders all along Baseline. There are quite a few developments going up out here.

It is nice and quiet (for now), yet still close enough to everything.

You should be able to get cheap Suns tickets when you come out. They stink. So do the Coyotes and Cardinals...hmmm all of our sports teams stink except the DBacks. Oh well, I'm a Dallas Cowboy fan anyway!

 

And would anyone know the income tax rate for Arizona residents? The 2004 NY State rate is 7.7% and the federal is 17% for middle income earners ($40k-70k).

So in NYC if you make $50,000 salary

50,000 x (1-24.7%)= $37,650

Bi weekly check equals 37,650 / 26 = $1,448

I didnt take out deductions for healthcare. this is just a estimate for NYC.

 

I've lived in AZ for about 19 out of my 25 years and in Phoenix for nearly 7 of those years. I love it here and have no intention of moving. My husband and I are currently looking to buy our first house, and wish we could buy in a cheaper area. We are looking at the N.Phx, Paradise Valley and N.Scottsdale area because they are in between where we work. You don't get as much home for the price in these areas. All the new home builders are building everywhere else but in the N.Phx. area (unless you count Anthem). My friends just bought a nice brand new 1800 sq.ft. home on the west side for $143K. That was with upgrades. They are a hop, skip and a jump (or freeway ride) from movie theaters, shopping and the Glendale Arena. The 1800 sq. ft homes I'm looking at are around $200K and built in 1990.

As for the brown cloud...the picture posted with the article looks like what I saw when I was hiking at Squaw Peak this weekend. I don't usually notice it, and it doesn't seem to have effected me thus far.

 

Ok i found the Arizona tax info. Is this current? Cuz this is unbelievable!

Arizona state taxes at a glance:
Tax Rate Range: Low - 2.87%; High - 5.04%
Income Brackets*: Lowest - $10,000; Highest - $150,000
Number of Brackets: 5
Personal Exemptions: Single - $2,100; Married - $4,200; Married with dependents $6,300; Dependent - $2,300; Senior - $2,300
Standard Deduction: Single - $3,500; Married filing joint return - $7,000
Medical/Dental Deduction: Limited to excess of 4% of adjusted gross income
Federal Income Tax Deduction: None
Note: * these numbers are for single taxpayers. For joint returns, the taxes are twice the tax imposed on half the income.

 

It's f'n HOT!!!!! and NO you do not get used to it. I grew up there and lived there for 19 years. Lived in Tucson for 4 and got the hell out of there.

It's violent. Polluted. Heavy traffic. Oh yeah did I mention how HOT it is there. Once my flight out of Sky Harbor was cancelled because the Temp on the runway blacktop was like 140 degrees and they said they were afraid the wouldn't get enough lift. and the computers on board were freaking out.

I left a cassette tape on my dashboard and it melted into the dash and was stuck, i had to pry it off. You can fry an egg on the sidewalk.

4 of my friends that I grew up with are now in their mid 30's and have melanoma (skin cancer)

I would not recommend Phoenix.

Did I mention that it is hot there?

 

How is it violent? I am from NYC remember? It cannot be more terror ridden and crime infested as nyc?

 

I am not saying it is more violent than NYC. I am saying there are a lot of gangs and a couple of drive by shootings daily. Also the gangs are in full bloom. Think L.A. type of violence. I think it's a lot of the L.A. gang activity that has moved there.

I know every city has it's share.....I just think that Phoenix has more than it's share.

Think of it this way....... In college psychology course they did an experiment where they crowded a lot of people into one room and then started to increase room temp. to see how it affected their behavior.......guess what happened.

 

Couple of things.

zh.guitar: Sounds like it's a good thing you no longer live here! I gather you hated AZ. How long have you been in NM?

I'm not sure where these multiple daily driveby shootings are happening. I live in South Phoenix and that doesn't even happen around here!

It is very unfortunate that some of your friends have skin cancer. I certainly wouldn't want that to happen to anyone. Truth is, you could get skin cancer (melanoma) in many places other than AZ. Without a doubt, you have to be very careful and protect yourself in the summer out here.

jdmstar: I'm not sure if this will help you in your tax information quest, but you could try this site. I'll also see what I can dig up.

http://www.revenue.state.az.us/index.html

Like zh.guitar says, it does get hot. But I figure you already know this if you have looked into living here. Sure, hearing it is 115+ degrees is one thing while experiencing it is another. Maybe some people do not get used to it, but I happen to like it. Hell, I drive a black Z that sits uncovered at work. Besides, you won't mind it so much when it is in the 60s and 70s over the so called winter.

 

I've been in NM for about 8 years. It's a lot like Phoenix was in the early 80's. People complain when it gets hot here too. Last summer we had three days in a row over 100 degrees. Whoopie, I was laughing, to me it's not even hot until 105 or more.

NM is OK. We don't have a great nightlife like big cities and I miss that a lot but since I'm getting older (did I just admit that?) I don't miss the nightlife so much.

If I were to move again I would look into Colorado or Oregon/Washington area.

Maybe I'm just sick of the desert............

 

I've lived in Tucson for the past nine months. Moved here from Seattle.
Yep, it gets hot, especially June through September and August is F**king miserable with monsoon rains.
As said above, though, houses are affordable, but you have to be picky in the neighborhood or you get a brick block house on a sandy street with no trees.
Live by the hills and you're in heaven.
The taxes here are not as great as you may think.
For one thing, tabs on my Z were nearly $500. Per year.
In Seattle, it's like $60.
There is a state income tax (not much) and sales tax is like 7 percent.
Car insurance is also a bit more.

For me, a person of moderate income, my money goes a lot farther here.
Bars close at 1 a.m. and nightlife reflects this.
Tucson in particular can be a bit sleepy, but that has good and bad sides.

Good luck. Never been to New York so I can't compare.